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curve fitting

American  

noun

Statistics.

  1. the determination of a curve that fits a specified set of points.

    The method of least squares is commonly used for curve fitting.

Other Word Forms

  • curve-fitting adjective

Etymology

Origin of curve fitting

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Müller, H. G. Weighted local regression and kernel methods for nonparametric curve fitting.

From Nature • Nov. 14, 2017

The one thing they seem to have in common is methodological flaws like cherry picking, curve fitting, ignoring inconvenient data, and disregarding known physics.”

From Scientific American • Dec. 1, 2015

Numerical calculus: approximations, interpolation, finite differences, numerical integration and curve fitting.

From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1976 January - June by Library of Congress. Copyright Office

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.